Encantado
by Shadowzamy
Summary: The Encantado is a mythical creature which has the form of a boto but can turn into a human, yet most transformation's are not complete.Yoh is an encantado with a perfect transformation. When he hears of the Shaman fight from some travelers, what will he do? Will he stay home in the river? Or will he go to Pache village and look for the shaman who supposedly looks like him? HaoxYoh
1. The Shaman tournament?

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

`stands for dolphin form

'_thoughts_'

HaoxYoh

XxX

Yoh` swam around in the amazon river at a slightly slower pace than usual, listening carefully for anything that sounded somewhat interesting. As he passed a tall tree, he heard the sound of people talking. Carefully peeking out of the water, he looked around for the source of the sound. A small flicker of light caught is attention, it looked like someone had started a campfire a little off in the distance.

It was around midnight, usually any travelers nearby would be fast asleep by now. Yoh` switched into his human form and walked over to the campfire to see what was there. He was a little more than ten feet away when one of the people invited him over, they appeared to be telling ghost stories around the fire. Once he was close enough, he saw that there wasn't just people, there were a few spirits as well, spirits he didn't recognize from around the area.

"Are you all shaman?" Yoh asked, with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"That's right, does that mean you're one too?" The long nosed shaman asked.

"No, I can see spirit's, but I'm not a shaman." Yoh replied simply.

"I see. My name is Anatel Pokki and they are Nakht Pitra and Khafre Puljiz. What is your name, young human?" Anatel asked curiously.

"My name is Yoh, nice to meet you." Yoh replied with a carefree smile.

Anatel seemed to have forgotten about the conversation as he began to stare. Yoh didn't mind, he was fairly used to others staring at him. He waited patiently for about ten minutes before he started getting bored. He was just about to ask what was so interesting when Anatel spoke up again.

"...You look a lot like someone else I've seen before. He's the strongest, and one of the cruelest, shaman in the tournament. His name is Hao." Anatel said, hesitating before mentioning Hao's name.

"What are the differences between us?" Yoh asked curiously.

"Other than the fact that he's a shaman and your not? You're personalities are completely different for starters. The second thing would probably be the length of your hair, Hao's hair is much longer than yours. The third would be that Hao looks physically stronger than you and your skin is slightly paler than his." Anatel explained.

"That's surprising." Yoh stated. Noticing the fact that they seemed to be pretty far way from where ever they were from, he decided to ask. "Where are all of you going?"

"We are on our way to the shaman tournament, but we are taking a slight break while trading stories of myths and legends, do you know any from around here that you could tell us?" Anatel replied.

"I do, but they're not myths, they're real. Deep within oceans and rivers many thing exist that most people would merely pass of as a myth or legend. A few examples of that would be Mermaids, Water Nymphs, Kelpys, Hydras and the Encantado. The encantado is a shapeshifter who's original form is a pink river dolphin, also known as a Boto. Encantados can turn into a human, although it rarely happens and most transformation's are not complete."

Anahol and the others looked at him questioningly, but he simply ignored the stares and continued.

"Most encantados can't make their dolphin blowhole disappear from their forehead with the transformation, only very few can. Even though they usually only change at night, when Encantados change into human form, they are pale skinned and are great with music. Encantados love causing trouble and shaman used to end up getting called out to break whatever spell the encantados cast."

"Encantados abilities are shapeshifting, hypnotizing, controlling weather, causing nightmares, insanity, and death. Because Encantados are supernatural creatures, they can also see spirits. The encantados live in a realm called the Encante, which is very close to the Great Spirit and the realm of the shaman king." Yoh explained.

"That is an interesting myth, but there's no such thing as shapeshifters and merpeople." Anatel said in disbelief.

"Just like there is no such things as the sphinx, demons, and ghosts?" Yoh challenged.

"Just because the sphinx is one of the most well known Egyptian myths does not mean that it is true." Anatel countered.

"And just because you haven't met one doesn't mean they don't exist." Yoh replied calmly.

"_Sigh_... there's something else you and Hao have in common, no one can seem to win in an argument against either of you." Anatel said as he looked over at his two team mates. The three of them then began packing up and getting ready to leave.

"I almost forgot to ask, where is the shaman tournament?" Yoh asked curiously.

"North America. It's a little ways past the red river canyon and across the black desert. Once you're there, you'll see a small lake with a blue cave. At the end of the cave is Pache village, where the shaman tournament takers place. Most of the tournament participants will be flying there on the Patch plane. Mere human's like your self would not be able to hold your breath long enough to make it to the end of the cave, it's pretty deep underwater. You would drown before you even reached the second half of the cave." Anatel replied apologetically.

"I understand, are you leaving now?" Yoh asked, noticing that Nakht was getting ready to put out the fire.

"Yes, we have rested for too long and now we need to continue our journey." Anatel answered.

"Alright then, goodbye and god luck." Yoh said as team Team Niles walked out of sight.

'_The shaman tournament, huh? Sounds interesting to watch, I think I'll try to find Pache village too. Anatel said that humans can't hold their breath long enough to make it to the end of the cave that leads to Pache village... But since when did I say that I was human? I said that I am not a shaman, but I never said that I was human either. Unlike most encantados I am rather laid back and even though I can shapeshift perfectly, I usually stay in dolphin form. I'm also the only encantado with the ability to change into a mermaid-like form. It's probably because my mom was a mermaid... I only change between forms if there is a __festival, or something that piques my interest nearby. The shaman tournament, as well as the shaman who looks almost identical to me, sound rather interesting._' Yoh thought as he turned back into a dolphin and jumped into the lake. Yoh` chirped at the thought of the shaman tournament as he swam down the Amazon River and into the Atlantic Ocean.

xXx

Yoh` had been swimming through the Atlantic Ocean for several days before he finally reached the Gulf of Mexico. He had intended to swim through the Rio Grande until he reached New Mexico. After that, he would search around until he found the Pache village. Yoh` hadn't swam that long before and he was getting really tired. He had been swimming for a week straight and he was worn out from going so long without rest. He decided to take a break once he reached the Rio Grande.

In order to save energy, he switched into his mermaid-like form. Despite the name, being in his mermaid form didn't mean that he had suddenly changed into a girl. When he was in this form, he had the upper half of a human and the lower half of a dolphin. He had a dorsal fin on his back and his dolphin traits were all either pink or a faded violet. He found his dorsal fin rather annoying, but he could swim faster because of it.

Yoh had just reached the border to New Mexico and was about to take a short break when a loud crash sounded through the air. He looked around for the source of the sound and quickly realized that it had come from above. He looked up to see what it was and saw a boy that looked about his age falling out of of a burning plane. The boy wasn't the only one falling, but he was the only one who was separated from the others and appeared to be badly hurt.

Everyone that fell landed miles away from one another and the boy fell into a lake about 15 meters away from Yoh. He couldn't see any one else around and it didn't look like the guy had been conscious when he fell. '_Well I can't just let him drown._' Yoh thought as he got out of the water and ran over to where the boy landed. When he reached the edge of the lake, he dived into the water and returned to his mermaid-like form.

Yoh paused for a moment when he finally caught up with the other boy, he looked almost exactly like his human form. '_He must be Hao... So what? He could be the devil himself for all I care. I'm not about to let him drown._' Yoh thought as he reached out for the shaman. Once he had a good hold on Hao's hand, he quickly swam back to the surface. Yoh pushed Hao out of the water and then he sat at the edge of the lake so that he could see how he was doing.

After a minute of evaluating Hao's health status, he realized that his chest wasn't moving, he wasn't breathing. Yoh began to panic, he hadn't exactly been in this kind of situation before and it wasn't like he was a doctor or anything. '_What should I do?_' Yoh thought worriedly, he was no expert on humans. All he knew was that, A, Hao swallowed too much water and, B, if he didn't start breathing soon, he would die.

XxX

Me: The Encantado is one of my favorite myths, but it's not one of the more common myths that I've heard, so I decided to write a story with one:)

Pink Dolphin: Please review.


	2. To the village

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

_Thoughts_

Writing

xXx

Once Yoh regained his composure, he remembered his ability to control weather. He briefly wondered if he could lessen it to simply the elements involved and then use it in a smaller way that could help him now. He didn't have any time to think about it, so he figured that he would try it and hope that it worked.

Yoh carefully laid Hao down on his back and then leaned over the shaman. Without a second thought he placed one hand on Hao's stomach, used to other to cover his nose, and connected their lips. He focused his ability to control water on evaporating the water that Hao swallowed. At the same time that did that, he breathed air into Hao's lungs through the partial kiss.

Panic set in when he felt Hao's heart come to a complete stop and he desperately tried to think of something to do. Eventually, he gave Hao a strong electric shock, using the remaining water as a conductor. After doing that for 10 long minutes, Hao's heart started beating again. Yoh let out a sigh of relief when Hao began breathing again as well. Once he was sure that Hao's life was no longer in any immediate danger, he looked around to see if anyone else was nearby. As far as he could tell, there was no one around for miles.

Yoh sighed. Sure, he had saved Hao's life, but he found it highly unlikely that Hao would wake up any time soon. He was happy that Hao had survived, but he also felt conflicted on what to do next. They couldn't stay at the lake because of the lack of food and he couldn't take Hao back to his home in the forest because he would have to swim to get there and Hao was still recovering from almost drowning.

Once he actually thought about it, he realized that at the moment there really was only one option that he could think of, carry Hao to Pache village and try to find his followers along the way. Yoh carefully pulled Hao's arms around his shoulders so that he could carry him on his back. When Yoh could tell that Hao wouldn't fall off, he started walking in the direction that Anatel described Pache village to be. He walked through the sand for a while until he eventually reached an old road. He began walking along the edge of it and hoped that it would lead him the right way.

Although he was tired from using most of his energy to save Hao, he continued to walk for three days strait without much rest. Just when he thought he would collapse from exhaustion, an old brown truck stopped beside him. He at stared the truck disbelievingly, confused about why someone would stop for him. The driver rolled down the window and Yoh was a little more surprised by the drivers appearance.

The driver was a tall woman and looked to be about 24 years old. She had blonde hair that went to he lower back with a streak of brown dyed into the left side of her bangs. She had light green eyes and fairly tanned skin. Yoh guessed the tan had something to do with driving out in the heat for so long. She wore a green forest patterned camouflage tank top and a pair of brown cargo pants. When she spoke, Yoh wasn't that surprised to hear that she had a southern accent.

"What ya doin all the way out here kid?" She asked after turning off the radio.

Yoh noticed the deer spirit next to her and smiled. "You're a shaman?" He asked.

The woman was a little surprised by the question but responded none the less. "Yea, problem with that?"

"No problem, he's a shaman too. I'm not a shaman, but I can see spirits." Yoh gave a carefree smile and the woman seemed to relax a little. "I'm actually heading to a place called Pache village. I'm hoping to see the shaman tournament, but first I need to find his group. I found him about 300 miles back, he almost drowned in a lake and he needs too be looked after for a while, at least until he wakes up."

"Well I'm actually headin there myself, a friend o mine told me about it, you can ride with me for a while if ya like." The woman said as she unlocked the doors.

Yoh smiled and got in the truck. He sat in the passengers seat with Hao, luckily it was a big seat and both of them could fit on it. He buckled the seat belt around the two of them and then looked up at the woman.

"Thank you for your help. My name is Yoh by the way, he's Hao." Yoh said while trying not to doze off.

"Not a problem. My name's Lila, it's nice to meet ya kid." Lila said. She smiled when she noticed that right after she said her name, Yoh fell asleep. '_He must've been tired._' She thought as she began driving towards the red canyon. Yoh slept for two days straight and when he finally woke up, Lila couldn't help but notice that he looked a little ill. When she asked about it, he said that he originally lived in a cooler temperature environment and was having some trouble adjusting to the different climate.

Yoh asked to get out once they reached the base of the canyon and Lila slowly pulled over for him. She tried to talk him into seeing a doctor, or at least staying with her until he felt better. Yoh merely shook his head and said that he would be fine soon and then he left while carrying Hao on his back once more. As he walked, he felt a little guilty about lying to Lila.

It was true that he was having trouble adjusting to the new environment, but that wasn't why he was getting sick. He was getting sick because he hadn't had any water for a week and it was over 107 degrees right now. There were times when he used to swim around underwater volcanoes before they erupted so the heat wasn't the major problem, the lack of water was.

It was finally night outside, but he didn't rest, he simply continued walking. He eventually ended up passing by a few teams of sleeping shaman as he walked. After another hour, he reached a pond with an eerie bluish glow, he could sense a strange presence from within and guessed that the cave that Anatel mentioned was probably inside. Yoh carefully sat Hao down next to a rock and then ran back over to where he saw the sleeping shaman earlier.

He needed to know if they were a part if Hao's followers or not, if they were, then he could leave Hao with them and try to find a bigger lake at Pache village. As he carefully walked through the many teams of shaman he tried to look for anything that would tell him if they were followers of Hao or not. Eventually he saw a blue haired girl wearing lego gloves with Hao's name imprinted on them.

Yoh quickly wrote a note that said where Hao was as well as a side note. After he finished writing the note, he put it in the hands of a little African girl wearing an orange poncho. The sun was beginning to rise and Yoh knew that he had better hurry. He made it back to the pond in no time at all and without any hesitation he jumped into the water. He quickly turned back into his dolphin form and then swam through the cave to Pache village.

XxX

Opacho woke up early the next morning, she wasn't sure why but she had the feeling that she would see Hao-sama again today. When the Patch plane was sabotaged, a lot of tournament participants were severely injure or killed in the event. Hao-sama had been acting a bit off that day and, for some reason, the Spirit of Fire didn't respond when he called. When the plane blew up, he was separated from the Spirit of Fire and everyone else.

Although none of them liked to think about it, everyone was worried that he didn't survive. This made Opacho's sudden feeling all the more strange. As she got up to go wake everyone else she realized that there was something in her hand, a letter. She quickly ran around and woke everyone else up so that one of them could read the letter. (Yoh wasn't used to writing so he had pretty bad spelling and Opacho couldn't read that well:P) Kana took the note and read it loud enough for everyone to hear.

"It says: Hi, I just thought you should know that _he_ is laying against a rock by a blue pond about 70 feet to the southeast of here. He is alive, but he may not feel that great for a while, he did have a pretty close call with the spirit-world and he's been out for the last week." Kana said, her eyes became wide as she realized the meaning to the last sentence.

Upon seeing Kana's expression everyone else knew what it meant too. They quickly gathered their things and then ran southeast to the place that the letter described. They all arrived at the pond in no time at all, Opacho was the only one that instantly tackled Hao on sight. Hao reluctantly woke up when he herd her crying.

"Opacho, what's wrong?" Hao asked as he slowly stood up.

Opacho was mumbling so much that Hao couldn't understand a word that she was saying, so Kana explained what happened during the explosion. Hao remained silent as she told him about everything that happened with them from the moment they were separated to the moment they found him. After she had finished explaining, Hao looked somewhat intrigued.

"Wait, if I got separated from everyone and was unconscious until now... Then how did I get here and how did you all find me?" Hao asked as he crossed his arms.

"Opacho woke up holding this." Kana handed him the letter. "We were all asleep, so no one saw who put it there."

Hao smirked as he read the letter, he wanted to find this person, who ever it was, and give them a _proper_ thanks.

XxX

**dreamcatcher-fluffysama**: Thank you for reading and no, I was not offended:) I have read the manga (and watched the anime) and I know that Hao and the patch were the only ones who knew the location of the village. In this story, the Niles found out about Lilirara before everyone took off in the plane. I changed it a little so that it might work with the plot a bit better. As for what happened with the plane, one of the other chapters will tell a bit more about what happened. I hope my explanation has cleared some things up, if not, please let me know and I'll try to give a better explanation:)

**Lightning-Claire:** Mermaid princess? Haha, I hadn't thought about it like that. I'm glad you like the story:) And thank you for reading.

**erutan**: I'm happy you found it interesting. I'll try to update as soon as I can so thank you for waiting:)

**Froim**: I'll try to explain what caused it to happen in one of the other chapters. Thank you for reading:)

**venoMM:** Thank you for reading.

**DDabell**: Thanks. It makes me happy to know that someone likes my stories:) I'll try to update as soon as I can.


	3. Heartfelt Lake

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

'_thoughts_'

`stands for dolphin form

writing

xXx

Yoh watched silently from a distance as Hao's team exited the cave and was welcomed by a patch official. Unlike Hao's team, Yoh was very careful not to let anyone know that he was there. He didn't want any troublesome situations occurring because people thought that he was human. Because of the relationship between shaman and encantado, he didn't particularly want to say what he was either. Yoh decided that he would find a lake that he would be able to live in, while in dolphin form, and stay there while there were no fights going on.

During the days that there were fights, he figured that he would merely wear a cloak to keep his appearance hidden while around others. Yoh walked around the forest for about an hour before he finally found a lake. Once he reached the edge of it, he jumped into the water and changed into his dolphin form. There were plenty of fish, so he wouldn't really have a problem finding food. Although, after he had been swimming in the lake for a while, it slowly began to change into a better environment for him.

Being an encantado meant that usually the area around him would change to have a more mystical feeling about it, only the Great Spirit knew why. A week after he arrived, the lake had mostly stopped changing, depressed tournament participants began coming to the lake to talk about their feelings, pain, and dreams. Yoh` didn't usually like to listen in on other people's thoughts, but since he couldn't really block out the sound, he ended up listening to what everyone had to say.

After another a week of not really doing anything but listen to the problems of shaman, a green haired shaman came to the lake. He spoke of wanting revenge against Hao for killing his parents, but feeling conflicted about staying with his current team. He said his name was Lyserg and that he was in team X-I in a group called the X-Laws, their leader was called Jeanne and he said that she was like a snow angel.

The shaman said that she was kind and cold, just as the leader of the X-Laws was expected to be. After listening to Lyserg talk about all of the things that Hao has done to others, Yoh` couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Hao to make him like that. Lyserg was about to leave, but Yoh` had the feeling that he wanted to say something more, so he quickly thought of something to make him stay for a little longer. When Lyserg turned to leave, Yoh` sprayed water out of his blowhole and splashed Lyserg, causing the other to quickly turn around in surprise.

XxX (Lyserg's POV few, minutes back )

I was feeling kind of depressed today. It's been a month now and not a single fight has been planned yet, Marco is obviously not happy about it. A few days ago I heard that people have been going to this one lake when they feel upset. Because so many shamans have gone to this lake to cry about their feelings, the lake has been named 'Heartfelt Lake', it's kind of a depressing name if you ask me.

'_I suppose wouldn't hurt to go there and talk about my problems._' I thought, quickly changing the direction that I was walking. I arrived at the lake in no time at all. It surprised me how ethereal it seemed. It had a few white water lilies floating on lilly pads which were scattered across the water. There were two rocks the size of a tree stump sitting just above the water, one rock was shaded by a willow a little ways away while the other rock was a little off to the side about nine feet away.

There was one large white rock which was sitting in the middle of the lake, separated from the others. After gazing at the rock for a few moments, I realized that it was actually a large opal. There were many trees surrounding the lake and the fog that surrounded the area gave the lake a rather surreal feeling to it. At the end of the lake was the Great spirit. The light of the Great Spirit shone down upon the clear waters, casting a reflection upon it's surface and making make the mist around it glow in the many colors that the opal showed.

I realized then why so many others had come here to express their feelings. The lake gave off the feeling that, even though no one appeared to be there, your voice would be heard. Finding myself captivated by the spiritual essence of the lake, I began talking about my life. I spoke about everything from the time that Hao killed my parents eight years ago, to having issues with my current team.

There was one more thing that I wanted to say, but I figured that I should probably head back. When I turned to leave, something suddenly splashed me from behind. I quickly turned around to see what it could have been, but there was nothing out there. I knew that I really should get going, but I also figured that I would probably feel better if I could get this off my chest.

I sighed and started talking. "Before I joined the X-Laws, I was traveling with another group. I had actually made friends. Their names were Ren, Horohoro, and Ryu. When I first met them all... well, let's just say that it wasn't the best first impression." I laughed slightly at the memory.

"But when I heard about the X-Laws, I left to join them. I have no doubt that my friends probably feel betrayed about my action and I'd be lying if I said that I don't feel bad about it. When I first joined the X-Laws they told me about how one of them sabotaged the Patch plane in order to try to kill Hao. Apparently, lady Jeanne cast a spell which drained his furryoku and made his spirit unable to respond. I would do almost anything to see him dead, but I wouldn't be willing to sacrifice so many innocent people just for an attempt." I sighed as I thought about it.

"Even if Hao would have died in the explosion, I never would've agreed to that. I'm no longer sure of what to do. I wish I could ask the opinion of someone of a neutral status in all of this, but everyone is either with Hao or the X-Laws, or hates both sides to the point that they won't talk to anyone from either side..." I pause for a moment, wondering if I should say more.

"Also, when I was with my friends, I was really close to Ryu... I think that I might have liked him _more_ than just a friend." After I finish speaking, I stare at the lake. I guess that I was probably waiting for something to happen. Nothing did, not that I was surprised.

As I got up to leave, I noticed two lily pads floating over to me, each of them carrying something. One of them carried a small patch of furze, achillea and a single black rose, the other carried a white tulip, a few daffodils and a dandelion. The lily pad with the black rose suddenly went under water before it could reach me while the other made it safely to where I was standing.

To say I was surprised would be a complete understatement, I was shocked. It didn't take me long to remember what had happened and I quickly reached into my bag. I took out my journal, no it is _not_ a diary, and wrote down what just happened. When I finished writing, my oracle bell rang signaling an announcement. Leaving the mystery of the flowers for later, I quickly headed for the Patch stadium.

xXx (normal)

Yoh` silently watched as Lyserg left, hoping that he would understand what he had been trying to tell him. The message wasn't too hard to understand, that is, if you understood flower language... Which Lyserg probably didn't. Now that he actually thought about it, he wondered who really did understand the meaning of flowers... other than the encantado. He knew that some humans probably learned it as a hobby, but he couldn't really think of a reason other than that.

Yoh put that thought out of mind as he switched back into human form and got out of the water. Lyserg's oracle bell had rung if he remembered correctly. '_Is his team going to fight?_' Yoh thought curiously as he headed towards the stadium. He decided to go to a clothing shop on his way, in order to pick out an outfit to hide his appearance. Being an encantado, he wasn't used to seeing all the stores and it took him a while to find out which one sold clothing.

When he walked into the shop, the scent of pine and mint instantly welcomed him. The many racks of clothing in both modern and native American style greeted his eyes. He flipped through a few different items, most of them looked nice, but they weren't what he was looking for. The sails person glanced at him once before going back to what he was doing. Yoh gave him a smile before looking around for something more suitable. Eventually, his eyes stopped on a single item.

It was long hooded coat which went down to a little past the knees. Three buttons lining from the top down with a zipper beneath insured to keep the user warm on windy days. It was a light umber with a few Pache style markings at the rim. On his way to the front desk to check out, he also picked got a cute looking cat ear hat. After paying for the items, he put them on and walked towards the direction of the stadium, desperately hoping that he hadn't missed the fight.

XxX

Me: Please review:)


	4. Chased

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

'_thoughts_'

`stands for dolphin form

writing

xXx

Yoh arrived at the stadium just as Lyserg's team entered the arena. He quickly took a seat in the stands before looking back at Lyserg's team. A look of puzzlement clouded his features when he saw only two people and a strange torture device. '_The third member isn't in there, are they?_' Yoh thought as as he stared in confusion at the iron maiden. His eyes widened when he turned to look at the opposing team... It was The Niles.

The announcer suddenly burst into the stadium, surprising Yoh and several others quite a bit. He wasn't sure what to think of the announcer, he was a bit more up beat than the other officials seemed to be. The announcer introduced himself before he started listing off the rules of the fight. Yoh didn't pay that much attention to what he was saying though, instead, he was focused on a group sitting on the other side of the stadium.

There seemed to be a few more of Hao's followers than he remembered, but that might've just been because it was dark out when he saw them last. He glanced at the two sitting closest to Hao, who he assumed were his teammates. One of them was a small African child who looked to be about four years old and the other was a tall man wearing a feathered hat and a black suit.

The announcer was still droning on about the rules, so he used the time he had and looked over at Hao. He was surprised to see that Hao had completely recovered. '_What a relief, he looks alright. No one would think that only a few weeks ago he was on the verge of death._' Yoh thought as he stared at the fire shaman. Now, Hao seemed to have a confident and somewhat frightening air about him. Yoh had never felt anything like it before.

As Yoh glanced back down at the arena, he saw that the announcer had finished his overly long speech and the fight had begun... but Lyserg was the only one fighting. He glanced back at the tall blonde man and the iron maiden before glancing back at Lyserg, who looked ready to fight alone. Maybe it was a test or something, Yoh didn't know for sure, but Anahol looked very displeased with the fact that Lyserg was coming to fight them alone.

Lyserg had the upper hand in the fight, there was even a time that Yoh worried Lyserg would kill his proponent. His eyes widened as the pendulum shot towards Anahol's neck, but then, it stopped mere centimeters from the skin. '_He hesitated..._' Yoh thought as he watched the pendulum fall to the ground. Lyserg looked surprised that the pendulum had stopped and asked his spirit why she didn't attack. '_Looks like he doesn't fully understand his hesitation..._'

Yoh flinched when he saw the iron maiden hit Lyserg, it looked like it really hurt. Marco unlocked the chains binding the maiden and soon a small girl came out. She began to speak about something like justice and the sins of the world, but he just tuned her out as he gazed at her appearance. She looked to be no more than eleven years old, yet she was supposed to be the leader of the X-laws group. Her furryoku was what surprised him the most though, it was a little less than half of Hao's.

After she killed Anatel, Yoh left the stadium. It was obvious to him how the fight would end and he wasn't a fan of watching a bloodbath. After the match was over, he carefully watched the crowd of people exiting the stadium. Eventually, he found the person he was looking for and carefully made his way over. He stopped in front of them, waiting a moment to make sure his teammates were out of reach before speaking.

"I heard your whispers of regret for friends and I believe there will be time to make amends. If you ever doubt the the choice that you make, a neutral listener will be waiting by the edge of the lake." Yoh said before slipping back into the crowd once more.

XxX

'_Maybe I went a bit overboard with the rhyming... Oh well. Hehe. It probably sounded more mysterious that way._' Yoh thought with a carefree smile. He paused and glanced back at the crowd, sensing that he was being followed. Much to his surprise, he recognized the furryoku of the one following him, and it wasn't Lyserg. He turned back and ran towards the forest as fast as he could.

'_Why is he following me?_' Yoh thought, his brows furrowed in confusion, as he ran past a large tree.

He closed his eyes for a moment and searched for a particular sound or smell. His ears caught sound of it first, the familiar sound of rushing water. He quickly changed direction and headed towards the source of the sound. The trees scratched and clawed him, one of the branches caught his hood, pulling it back, but he didn't have the time to fix it. It was in sight now, a river leading to a large waterfall, all he had to do was reach the water and he would be fine.

A twig snapped behind him, his pursuer was drawing nearer. It was only a matter of time before they caught up with him. Mere feet away from the water, a hand reached out for him. He took a chance and jumped into the river. The hand had managed to grasp a few strands of his hair, causing him slight pain as they were pulled out, but he made it into the water.

He didn't wast any time at all in switching into into his dolphin form and riding down the waterfall. He had lost sight of the person after diving into the water, but he didn't want to take any chances in being found, so he decided to take the long way back. He wondered why that person had chased him in the first place, it didn't make much sense for them to. They shouldn't have known who he was, how could they?

XxX

Hao stared at the strands of dark brown hair caught in his hand, they were slightly lighter than his own, but much shorter. He had gotten close to catching that person, whoever they were. It had surprised him when he heard someone thinking about how he had almost died just a few weeks prior. As far as Hao knew, only his followers and one other knew about that, the one who saved him. His followers had all been with him at the time, which meant that the one thinking that must have been the one who saved him.

A small smile creased his lips. Now he knew a little more about that person. Because of the coat they were wearing, he couldn't see much of their appearance, but he did notice a few things. They were around the same height as him, maybe an inch shorter. Judging by the color and length of the hair in his hand, the person had shoulder length dark brown hair. Their skin looked a little paler than his. When he heard them speaking to Lyserg, their voice sounded male.

This was certainly a lot more knowledge than he had previously known. The smile switched to a smirk as he stared at the waterfall before him. They must have either been a really great swimmer or really desperate to go off a waterfall like that, but he assumed it was both. There was one thing for sure though, he knew where to find them, if he could get them to come out.

XxX

Me: Please review

Lyserg: Nothing else to say in the authors note today?

Me: Not really.


	5. Great Spirit's Message

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

"talk"

'_thoughts_'

xXx

"That was a little too close for comfort." Yoh sighed as he slipped into the lake.

He hadn't expected in the slightest for Hao to follow him, maybe Lyserg, but not Hao. Reaching up, he gently touched the part of his head where the few hairs had been yanked out. If he had reached the water just a second later, he would've been caught. It might be better to play it save and stay in the lake for a while, missing a few fights wouldn't be that bad, especially if they were like today's fight.

He paused upon sensing another presence near the lake. A moment later, Lyserg entered the clearing, looking confused and upset as he glanced around the area. It looked like there was a lot on his mind. Lyserg sat down and the edge of the lake and pulled out his notebook. He wrote a lot of things inside, erasing half of them before ever finishing. It appeared as though he was trying to figure out something, maybe the message, but `Yoh wasn't sure.

`Yoh's eyes widened as he sensed another presence in the area, another presence that he had grown familiar with. This would not end well. Lyserg seemed to sense the other presence too, but not as well as he had. `Yoh swam to the surface above the lake, switching back to human form before hiding behind one of the rocks. The other person would enter any moment, and he wanted to know what would happen.

"Hao!" Lyserg exclaimed, wasting no time in pulling out his pendulum and attacking the fire shaman.

The Spirit of Fire appeared and swatted away the pendulum before disappearing once again.

"Hello, Lyserg. I didn't come here to fight." Hao said calmly.

"Then what are you here for?" Lyserg snapped.

"A similar reason as you. I'm looking for the person who lives by the lake. Although, I'm sure our reasons for wanting to meet this person are quite different." Hao replied.

Lyserg prepared to attack once more, but stopped upon recalling one of the rules of the X-Laws : No member must act without permission of the holy maiden.

"Fine..." Lyserg growled, "but there's no one around but us. I already checked."

"I don't doubt that. However, I'm quite certain that there is someone else here, I'm also certain that they'll leave if either one of us gets too close to finding them." Hao replied.

"Then what do you suggest?" Lyserg asked, his tone drenched in sarcasm.

Hao ignored the question and glanced at Lyserg's journal with interest. "What are you looking at in there?" Hao asked.

Lyserg laid out the journal for Hao to see. He would rather die than ask Hao's help in solving the message, but he wouldn't mind too much if Hao knew what it meant and told him.

"The flower language? That's surprising. Quite a creative way to send a message. Furze represents hatred, achillia represents war, and black roses signify death and sorrow. It's like that lily pad was saying: Hatred and war will only bring about death and sorrow. When the lily pad sank, the message was to give it up. On the other hand... White tulips represents forgiveness, daffodils represent rebirth, and dandelions signify happiness. That lily pad was saying: Forgive, begin anew, and you will find happiness." Hao said simply. "Looks like this person and I have different opinions in such matters."

Lyserg snatched back his journal and walked away without another word. He didn't want to think about the message just yet and he was irritated that Hao figured it out so easily. Now, he just wanted to go back to the X-Laws and calm down. Hao, on the other hand, decided to leave for the time being. He'd come back later and look for the person again, once they let their guard down. Until then, he'd ask around. The guy didn't seem to me a participant in the tournament, so why was he there?

XxX (six days later)

Yoh pulled his coat a little closer as he tried to keep himself warm. The wind pushed against him like a rushing stampede, intensifying the already heavy rain with each powerful gust. Yoh never though once in his life that he would actually dislike water, but apparently there was a first time for everything. Wet earth clung onto his clothes, weighing him down more and more with every step.

Yoh wasn't even sure where he was at this point, he had only left the lake to take a short walk. Getting lost in the middle of a forest he didn't even recognize was not a part of the plan. For a brief moment, he could have sworn he heard a voice, but the next minute, he was blinded by a sudden bright light. When he opened his eyes again, he was startled to see that he was submerged deep under water.

He quickly switched to his mermaid form and tried looking around. It was incredibly dark, but there was one thing that looked surprisingly clear, a continent of some sort. As he swam a little closer, he got the strangest feeling that it was somehow familiar. '_Mu..._' The name came to mind as he gazed at the continent's surface. He swam around it a few times, engraving everything to memory before slowly swimming towards it.

He found it a little strange that there was air on the island, he had to switch back to human form to be able to explore further. There was no wind on the island and the temperature was neither hot nor cold. The stairs seemed to go on forever, occasionally he would reach a door which led to some other place, but after that there were more stairs. Eventually, he reached what looked like the final staircase with a chair at the end.

Slowly ascending the staircase, he felt that this place was special somehow. He had felt that since the moment he reached the island, but this room was different, it was like the starting of something. When he reached the top, he gazed at the throne-like chair. Hesitantly, he closed his eyes and reached out to touch it. His fingers gently ran over the cool stone surface, it had a somewhat soothing feel to it.

"_Who are you? Why are you here?_" A voice called from deep withing his mind.

'_My name is Yoh. I am not sure why I am here. I went out for a walk and somehow ended up in this place._' Yoh replied mentally.

"_I did not think you would return... I wonder if it is his will maybe? But why would he not tell me if it were-_" The voice was suddenly cut off by another before it could finish.

"_**Ah. You are finally back. I have been waiting.**_" A new voice echoed.

"Have I been here before? Why were you waiting? Who are you?" Yoh asked quickly.

"_**I am the king of spirits. Your mother brought you here when you were still in her womb so that you would be born before the throne of the shaman king. She did this so that you would have a connection to me, but because you were born here... she died from staying out of the water too long. I have been waiting for you because I knew you would come. Goldva is the only neutral member of the patch remaining and I want you to help her keep the tournament going by offering assistance from time to time. Assistance such as making sure the other officials don't step out of line and interfering when it's needed. You are gifted with the ability to speak with me directly and you know where this place is by heart, you won't forget. That is all I needed to say, I will now send you back to where you came...**_" The great spirit said.

Before Yoh could ask anything else, a sudden dizziness came over him. He closed his eyes to try and clear his head, but when he opened his eyes once again, he was back at the lake.

XxX (three days later)

Yoh` sighed as he swam around the rocks beneath the watery surface, it was pretty boring staying in one place for so long. Even when he was back home, he would still swim to other parts of the river. The only reason why he didn't leave the lake was because of the fire shaman, who was currently sitting on the opal of the lake. '_He sure has a lot of free time if he can wait for me all day..._' Yoh thought as he stared up at Hao.

'_Lately he's even been staying the night too... At this rate, I might have to either come up and meet him, or make a break for it... I'm thinking more about making a break for it though._' Yoh` thought, frowning slightly when he saw Hao smirk. It was almost like Hao had heard that thought, but that would be impossible, humans couldn't read minds, or at least, it was rare for them to.

A light splash returned his attention to where Hao was sitting. Hao had jumped off the opal and landed on the ground near the lake, his poncho lightly wet from when he jumped. In a burst of flames, Hao was gone, he teleported to some other place. Yoh` instantly swam towards the surface, but stopped moments before getting out. Hao was a very smart shaman, it wouldn't be unlikely for this to be a trap.

Yoh` switched back to human form and swam around the edge of the lake while thinking of his options. He could stay and wait for Hao to get back, or he could leave while he had the chance and come back later. It wasn't as hard of a decision as he had originally thought. Peaking over the surface, he checked around for any presences. Once he was certain that he was the only one there, he jumped out of the water and ran towards the village.

XxX

Me: Happy April first everyone :)

Hao: What is the point of the first of April anyway?

Me: Well, it's pretty much a day for pranks.

Hao: Pranks eh? *goes off into thought*

Me: ?

Hao: *smirks* Where is Yoh?

Me: With Ren, I think.

Hao: *Walks over to door, pausing momentarily before looking back* Do you know where I can find some rope, water, paint, blindfolds, bananas and styrofoam?

Me: *looks up hesitantly* Should I ask why you want to know?

Hao: *smiles evilly* Not if you want to keep the rating the same.

Me: *shudders* You can find most in the closet, the rest is in the kitchen.

Hao: Thanks. See you. *exits in a burst of flames*

Me: Please review.


	6. Trap

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

'_Thoughts_'

"Speech"

XxX

Yoh gasped for breath as he came to a halt at the entrance to the village. It didn't seem like Hao had followed him, which meant that it either wasn't a trap or the trap was meant for when he returned. Yoh hoped it was the first, but a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach said otherwise. He didn't like to think of the troubles that may or may not happen later, so he decided to focus on what was around him instead.

A light breeze carried the warm wind throughout the village, the air brought the scent of various foods to his nose. The tan buildings around him were swarmed with many shaman, each holding either a look of confidence or worry. It wasn't too hard to tell which shaman were stronger and which were weaker, that is, if you knew how to read the signs. Yoh could easily tell which was which, despite not really caring.

He was really more focused on exploring the places around him. The last time he was in the village he didn't have much time to really look around, getting to the fight on time was all that he thought about back then. As he was trying to decide which store to enter first, his stomach growled. '_Hehe. Well that certainly makes my decision easier._' Yoh thought as he began looking around for a place to eat.

It didn't take long for him to find a fast food place, since most of them were in the same area. Once he decided which place he wanted to eat at, he headed towards the building. The chime of a small bell announced his presence in the restaurant, echoing off the walls and through the room. He was surprised how empty this place was, most of the others had many people coming in and out of them, yet he was the only one who appeared to be in this one.

Upon further observation, he realized that there was another person there, the Patch official who was stationed at the place. The official had rather long hair and he looked to be in his mid twenties, he also looked overjoyed that someone had actually entered the restaurant. Yoh glanced at the menu before quickly before heading up to the counter to give his order.

"Thank you for your order. Your food will bee here shortly." The official stated cheerfully.

"Thank you... Silva." Yoh said, having slight difficulty with reading Silva's name tag.

After he had finished eating, he began exploring the village. It was much bigger than he had originally thought. The village itself was about the size of one of the underwater cities where he lived. He briefly contemplated staying for a while after the tournament. Who knew? It could be fun. Then again, he wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place. Staying longer probably wouldn't be a good idea. While he was thinking about that and _not _watching where he was going, he ended up running into a young girl... her name was Jeanne, if he remembered correctly.

"Urk. Sorry about that." Yoh mumbled.

"No, no. It's my fault, I should have been looking where I was going. I apologize." Jeanne replied quickly before walking off.

'_...She's a nicer than I thought. Maybe it's just because I haven't gone against her?_' Yoh thought. As he watched her walk away and over towards the rest of the X-laws, he decided to head back to the forest. It would be bad if Lyserg saw him and started chasing him. He didn't really want to explain himself to a group of shaman obsessed with some weird form of justice.

XxX

Yoh's eyes narrowed as he scanned the surrounding area, making sure check every branch and/or bush in sight. The lake was right before him and Hao was nowhere in sight, but that didn't mean that the fire shaman wasn't around. He listened carefully for any sign of another person's presence. A snapping twig, the splash of a puddle, even the faint sound of breathing which normally went unheard by humans... Nothing.

He took a deep breath and ran toward the water as fast as he could. The ground felt like ice as he ran, his pace quickening when he heard the rustle of leaves behind him. When he thought he was close enough to reach, he jumped into the lake. The cool water felt soothing to his skin, it was warmer than the ground yet cool, unlike the humid air outside. He looked up towards the water's surface, slightly surprised when he saw no one there. He could've sworn that he sensed a presence near the lake.

Before he could really ponder that thought, a sudden grip latched onto his neck and waist, halting his movements. He struggled against the hold, trying to turn around and face the person, but barely succeeded in loosening the grip. The person holding on to him was skilled if they were able to catch him under water, and it didn't seem like he would be able to get away. He tried kicking the person, but the water decreased the efficiency of the attack, making it useless.

Unfortunately, the struggling was making him run out of energy and breath too quickly. He couldn't change forms while he was being held and he couldn't escape either. The one holding had to have been running out of breath too, yet somehow they managed to keep their hold and none of his struggles did any good against them. When he couldn't put up a fight any longer and his vision began to blur, he felt the person began pulling him up to the surface.

Yoh gasped for breath as his back his the cold wet ground. His vision was still a little fuzzy, but now that he was out of the water and could see person, he realized that he recognized them. Asakura Hao... Not good. While Yoh was still taking in some much needed air, he wondered why it was that Hao seemed to be having no troubles breathing. His vision was clear now and see that, despite that fact that they were both stuck under water for over three minutes, Hao seemed to be just fine.

"W-what... That was d-dangerous, we both could have drown. Why did you drag me out here?" Yoh gasped.

"First of all, neither one of us would have drown. A skilled shaman can hold their breath for over an hour and I wouldn't have let you die. Plus, you exerted too much energy trying to struggle. If you had stayed calm, then you would have lasted longer. Second, I dragged you out here because it's the only way I'd get to see you. You run whenever someone goes near you." Hao replied matter-of-factly.

"Ok, but that still isn't a valid reason for you to half drown me." Yoh replied as he carefully sat up.

"Well, I really wanted to talk." Hao said simply.

"What about?" Yoh asked hesitantly.

"I'm sure you can guess that." Hao replied with a cool smile.

XxX

Me: Finally, classes are done ^^ Now that I've got more free time, I'll try to update more often. Sorry for the wait. Please review.


	7. Thanks

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

XxX

Yoh swallowed nervously as he glanced at the fire shaman, who was sitting just a little too close for his liking. It wasn't that hard to guess that Hao wanted to talk about either who Yoh was or about being saved. However, the strangest feeling told Yoh that it would be both. The biggest problem would be how to explain who he was. What should he say? He'd be in trouble if he answered honestly, but he couldn't lie either.

"The only things I can think of that you might want to talk to me about are who I am and about me saving you." Yoh said.

"You're close. Mainly, I just want to know who you are. I find it unlikely that you're a shaman, but I doubt that you're just human. A normal human wouldn't have been able to find this place, much less enter without getting caught. So, who and what are you?" Hao asked.

"...My name is Yoh and I'm an encantado. Usually we encantados remain in the form of a pink river dolphin but we can turn human. I'm one of the few encantado that can do a perfect change as well as a half transformation, which looks a bit like a mermaid." Yoh explained.

"Oh? And why were you trying so hard to hide?" Hao asked.

"I didn't realize most shaman forgot about it. There was a war between shaman and encantado about 300 years ago, there were many casualties on the shaman's side and the encantado were mostly wiped out. We have pretty much avoided contact with the other side ever since. I didn't want to make myself an enemy of so many shaman all in one place." Yoh replied.

"I can understand that. I'm familiar with the encantado, but I haven't heard of the war. However, I can't say that Goldva and the patch officials haven't heard of it. They'd react a lot differently than I would, can't say if that would be a good thing or a bad thing though." Hao said.

"...Um, now that you know, what are you going to do?" Yoh asked hesitantly.

"Is there a need to do anything?" Hao said simply.

"What?" Yoh asked.

"I don't care about some war between shaman and encantado, it has nothing to do with me. All I really care about is the fact that you saved me. I'd like to give you my thanks, but I'm not quite familiar with the customs of the encantado. Is it the same as humans or is it different with your kind?" Hao asked curiously.

"I think it's a little different, but not very. I've seen humans do it too." Yoh said simply.

"How does one say thanks?" Hao asked.

"Like this."

Before Hao had a chance to react, Yoh leaned in and placed a small kiss on Hao's lips. He pulled back immediately after and was a little confused at Hao's reaction. Something like that was rather common with other encantado, so it was strange to see someone so confused at such an action. Hao looked like he couldn't decide whether to be irritated or embarrassed.

'_How did he manage to catch me by surprise me like that? Opacho is the only one who has ever managed to get close to me before. How did Yoh manage to kiss me?_' Hao thought. However, his surprise quickly switched into amusement upon noticing Yoh's confusion.

"My reaction really isn't that strange." Hao said after reading Yoh's thoughts.

"What?" Yoh asked.

"Thank kind of kiss is usually done between a couple. It can be used as a thanks, but generally only with one's significant other." Hao explained.

Yoh's face turned a bright red as he understood what Hao meant. "Oh... Sorry."

"It's alright. I was the one who asked how encantado say thanks. Speaking of which-"

Now, it was Yoh's turn to be surprised. Hao grabbed hold of Yoh's waist, making sure he had a decent grip before pulling him closer and connecting their lips once more. A moment later, he broke the kiss and looked back at the very confused encantado. Yoh appeared to be at a complete loss for words, quite an interesting sight in Hao's opinion.

"Thanks for saving me." Hao said with a smirk.

"B-but didn't you say-" Yoh began.

"Though that may be true with us, for you it's still just a simple thanks, right? Well, I probably should get going, Opacho is probably waiting. See you." Hao replied.

Yoh could merely stare in shock as Hao disappeared in a mass of flames. '_...Hao ...He sure is a strange shaman._' Yoh thought before diving into the water.

XxX (the next day)

Yoh` watched quietly from behind a rock as Lyserg sent his dowsing pendulum into the water in another attempt to find him. Lyserg would have found him ages ago, if he knew he was looking for a dolphin that is. The pendulum had passed by Yoh several times now while in search for him. He didn't mind the distraction, the pendulum was pretty to look at under water.

Although, Yoh was a little concerned. He knew that Hao would probably be coming any moment now to talk and it didn't look like Lyserg intended on giving up any time soon. He came a little closer to the surface after sensing another presence, but to his surprise, Hao was not the one who appeared. From behind the bushes came Jeanne and Marco.

"So this is where you've been coming so often." Jeanne muttered as she glanced around the clearing. "It truly is mystifying as they say."

"M-Milady" Lyserg gasped in surprise. "I didn't expect for you to come here."

"I was curious about the lake and why it seemed to captivate so many people, including you... Now I think I understand, it truly is stunning." Jeanne replied.

"It is. The reason most people come is to express their worries. For some reason, saying your doubts here seems to put people's minds at ease." Lyserg sighed.

"I heard a rumor that someone lives here." Marco said while fixing his glasses.

"Oh. You mean the lady of the lake, right? People don't know if anyone really lives here, or even if someone does live here, no one knows if they're male or female. But, people call this mystery person the lady of the lake because rumor has it that that they're very pretty. Some people come here for the sole purpose of meeting her." Lyserg replied.

"Is that why you come here so often?" Jeanne asked curiously.

"I suppose it's one of the reasons." Lyserg replied with a smile.

XxX

Yoh: What do you mean _lady_?

Me: Well, encantados are said to be very pretty, so I thought I'd play around with that a bit.

Yoh: I'm not a girl.

Hao: You'd look cute as one though.

Yoh: Not you too Nii-san...

Hao: please review


	8. What to do

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

XxX

"Talking about the lady of the lake?" Hao inquired as he stepped into the clearing.

'_This should get interesting._' Yoh thought.

"Why are you here?" Marco demanded, pointing his weapon at Hao.

"To meet the lady and relax at the lake, like everyone else." Hao replied, not concerned in the slightest by the gun pointed at his head.

"That's enough, Marco. We did not come to fight today." Jeanne said calmly.

Marco instantly put his gun down, but didn't stop glaring at the fire shaman. Lyserg, on the other hand, pulled his pendulum out of the lake so that he could turn to face Hao and Jeanne. He wondered if Jeanne would leave since Hao had come, but it didn't seem like she was going to go. Jeanne merely glanced at the lake before turning her gaze back to Hao.

"Have you ever met the lady of the lake before?" Jeanne asked curiously. "It seems as though you're confident that you'll see her."

"Yes, I suppose you could say that I've seen 'her' before." Hao said as she walked over to the lake.

Jeanne watched quietly as Hao walked over to the lake and flicked the water's surface.

'_Does he want me to come up?_' Yoh thought. '_I doubt he'd want me to go out in my human form, we look too much alike, but I can't go in my dolphin form either, anyone who knows about encantado would know I was one. So, he wants me to go out in my mermaid form?_'

Hao flicked the water once more and when Yoh looked up, he faintly was Hao nod. With some reluctance, Yoh switched into his mermaid form and slowly swam to shore. He stopped just moments before he reached the surface and hesitantly reached out and grabbed Hao's arm. It must have been strange for the others to see. The seaweed kept most of him hidden, all they were able to see was a pale hand reaching out of the water.

"What is that?" Lyserg gasped.

"The lady of the lake." Hao replied.

"Huh?" Everyone stared blankly at Hao before looking down at the hand, which seemed to be trying to pull Hao underwater.

"She's rather shy." Hao said as he pet the hand. "Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you."

After a moment, a head peaked out from within the water. The face looked slightly similar to Hao's, but after propping itself halfway out of the water, the differences became more apparent. The hair length difference was the first thing they noticed, but the dorsal fin on it's back was a close second. It smiled lightly at Lyserg, flicking the water with its tail so that it barely splashed the green haired shaman.

"She is pretty." Marco commented.

"A... Mermaid?" Lyserg gaped.

"Not exactly, but close enough. She's not what most would expect, right?" Hao chuckled. "Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, _she _is a _he_."

"It's male?" Jeanne asked.

Yoh frowned slightly. '_I'm not an it_.'

"Yes. _He_ is male." Hao said.

"How did... _he_ even get here?" Lyserg asked skeptically.

Hao smirked. "You'd have to ask him that yourself. I, on the other hand, have other things to do."

Yoh dove back underwater moments before Hao vanished in a mass of flames. With Hao gone, he had no intention of sticking around to see what the X-laws intended to do. He took a small underwater path to a nearby lake. After making sure that there was no one around, he switched back to his human form and began wandering the forest. It was starting to get dark out. There was probably only about an hour of sunlight left for the day.

Despite the fact that it was getting dark, he wasn't going to return to the lake for a while. In fact, he wasn't sure if he'd go back at all. Now that the X-Laws knew that the lake was inhabited by a 'mermaid' things would get more complicated. They might tell others and then more people would come, making the lake far too crowded. They could tell the patch officials too, then someone might realize he's an encantado and try hunting him down. He wasn't sure what to do anymore.

XxX

Hao sent the Spirit of Fire elsewhere as he walked through the entrance to his hideout. Most of his followers were gone doing some task that he'd previously sent them, leaving Opacho and team Hana-gumi the only ones there at the moment. Not that he minded, in fact, they were all he needed for this particular task. Finding them was fairly easy, all he had to do was check the main room.

"Welcome back, Hao-sama." Opacho said cheerfully.

"Is there anything you need of us?" Mari asked.

"Actually, there is. Near the village there is a boy wandering the forest. He looks a bit like me. Hana-gumi, I need you three to go give him my apologies if I caused him any trouble earlier. Let him know that he'll be welcome here if he'd like." Hao said.

"Of course, Master Hao." Kana replied.

Hao smirked as he watched them leave to do the task. Yoh was probably at a loss of what to do right now. Since the X-Laws knew that he was living in the lake, he wouldn't be able to return for a while. Yoh wasn't familiar with the surrounding area either, not to mention that he seemed a bit hesitant to go near other shaman. At this rate, everything would turn out exactly like he had anticipated.

"Hao-sama, is there anything that Opacho can do?" Opacho asked.

"Yes, there is something." Hao replied.

"What?" Opacho asked curiously.

"In a little while we'll be having a guest over. Would you be able to send a message to the others that he is _not _to be touched?" Hao requested.

"Of course, Hao-sama. When will the guest be here?" Opacho asked.

"He'll come once he gets my message."

XxX

Yoh: *_Sulks in corne_r*

Ren: When is he going to stop that?

Me: Who knows?

Manta: What happened?

Me and Ren: Don't ask.

Manta: Please review.


	9. Sleepover

Disclaimer: I do not own shaman king.

XxX

A loud thump seemed to echo though the forest as Yoh ran into yet another large pine tree. His vision was meant for underwater, not land and especially not land at night. He shook his head in an attempt to shake out any pine needles that might've fallen in his hair. It was cold, he was tired, and he had yet to find a river or lake to sleep in for the night.

The sudden rustle of leaves startled him, making him jump back a few steps before turning to face the source of the noise. At first glance he could see nothing there, but he could easily sense the presence of three shaman hiding in the trees. He was a little wary of their presence, but it didn't seem like they wanted to hurt him. If they had, they probably would have attacked him by now.

"Oh. He knows we're here." Yoh heard a voice whisper.

"That was fast. Oh well, lets go say hi. We're supposed to talk to him anyway."

Yoh took a step back as three girls suddenly jumped down from a tree and landed right before him. He vaguely recognized them from that one time when he was searching for Hao's team. The oldest girl was the one who'd been wearing the gloves with Hao's name on them. They were a part of a team in Hao's followers, but he was curious to know what they wanted with him.

"Wow, he does look like Hao-sama doesn't he, Kana?" One of the younger girls said excitedly.

"Yup. Guess he's the guy Hao mentioned." Kana replied.

'_Hao mentioned me?_' Yoh thought in confusion.

"Hey. I'm Macchi. Who are you?" Macchi asked.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Yoh." Yoh replied.

"Nice to meet you too, Yoh. We're here to give you a message from Hao-sama. He says that he apologizes if he caused you trouble earlier and wants you to know that you're always welcome to come stay with us if you's like." Macchi said.

'_Hao definitely planned this. Ah, well. It's not like I had any other place to go anyway and if Hao's so eager for me to come over, why not?_' Yoh thought.

"Sure. I'd love to come over." Yoh said cheerfully.

"That's great! Here, we'll show you the way." Macchi exclaimed.

Yoh smiled as Macchi grabbed hold of his wrist and began leading him somewhere in the forest. The other two girls followed closely behind them, seeming to be keeping an eye out for something. He started to feel a little bit nervous as they drew closer to the hideout. He could sense the furryoku of a lot of shaman nearby and he still wasn't that used to being around shaman for too long.

However, when they walked through the door of the building, Yoh was surprised to see that Hao was the only one waiting for them. Judging by the relaxed furryoku coming from the others he sensed in the building, he guessed that everyone else was already asleep.

"Welcome back, Hana-gumi." Hao said with a close eyed smile.

The three girls gave him a slight bow in acknowledgment. "Thank you, Hao-sama. If you don't need us for anything else, would you mind if we took our leave?" Mari asked.

"Not at all." Hao replied.

Yoh watched quietly as the girls waked up the stairs and into a dark hallway. He wasn't really sure what to do now. Hao was the only other person there with him and in a way it made him both calm and yet slightly uneasy. Perhaps it was because he couldn't tell what Hao was thinking or feeling. Normally, he could guess what humans felt, but with Hao it was a total blank.

"Nice to see you again, Yoh. I'm glad you came." Hao said as he walked over to the young encantado.

"I didn't know what else to do, I can't exactly go back to the lake now that others know I'm there." Yoh said simply.

"Sorry about that, but it's a good thing you came to visit." Hao replied.

"You know, if you really wanted me to come over, all you had to do was ask." Yoh said with a smile.

Hao smirked at the comment. "I suppose I'll have to remember that for next time."

Yoh followed quietly as Hao led him through the base. He wasn't entirely sure where they were going, but Hao seemed to have a place in mind, so he wasn't concerned. Despite the rather large size of the base, there didn't appear to be many rooms. Most of the doors appeared either locked or greatly damaged. From the doors that seemed fine, Yoh could sense the furryoku of shaman. By the amount of furryoku he guessed that there was probably a room for each team.

They continued walking till they reached the end of the hall, where Hao stopped in front of a plain metal door with a star carved onto the side. Hao led him inside before shutting the door behind them. The room looked fairly simple. There was a single futon lying in the middle of the room next to what appeared to be a sketch book. There was a window to the futon's right and a closet to the left. Though it looked fairly empty, it still seemed like it belonged to someone.

As if reading his thoughts, Hao suddenly spoke. "This is my room. Most of the other rooms are unavailable at the moment. So, well be sharing a room."

"Ok. Thanks for having me." Yoh said with a carefree smile.

"Unfortunately, I don't seem to futon available at the moment. Would you mind sleeping together with me?" Hao asked curiously.

"Not at all. It is your room, I suppose I should be asking you the same thing." Yoh replied.

"I don't mind." Hao said simply.

Yoh waited until Hao got comfortable in the futon before crawling in under the blanket. He was surprised at how soft the bed was. It was fluffy and warm, a lot different than resting in water, that's for sure. After taking a moment to get comfortable he closed his eyes and let out a relaxed sigh.

"You don't seem nervous." Hao commented.

"Should I be?" Yoh mumbled.

"Well, you're sharing a bed with someone else who's neither a friend nor sibling. Isn't that kind of disquieting?" Hao asked.

"Not really." Yoh replied.

"Is this more common with your kind?" Hao asked curiously.

"Kind of. The only time where I've actually slept as a human was when I was bringing you to your friends and a shaman woman happened to offer a ride in her truck. Most of my life I've spent in dolphin form and sleeping as a dolphin is a little different because we can never sleep like humans can or risk drowning. Sometimes adult male dolphins sleep swimming side by side to help with that. That's what I've done most of my life, so sleeping like this isn't that strange." Yoh said sleepily.

Hao raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask any further questions, Yoh dozed off, quickly falling into a deep sleep. The boy was stranger than he thought. Though, the differences between humans and encantado intrigued him. He intended on asking Yoh more about his kind tomorrow, but for now he was just going to follow Yoh's example and get some rest. He'd probably need it for tomorrow.

XxX

Hao: *plays thoughtfully with Yoh's hair*

Yoh: What are you doing?

Hao: Thinking.

Yoh: About what?

Hao: You.

Yoh: And what about me are you thinking of?

Hao: I'll pretend you didn't ask if you pretend you don't know the answer.

Yoh: *blushes*

Hao: Mind already in the gutter, Otouto?

Yoh: I'll pretend you didn't ask if you pretend you don't know the answer.

Hao: *smirks*

Me: Please review.


End file.
